


The case of Ahsoka

by Dark_Earl



Series: Palpatine x Obi-Wan: Arranged marriage AU [12]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Canon Compliant, Drama, Episode: s05e20 The Wrong Jedi, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Obi-Wan's negotiation skills, Out of Character, Trials, no beta we die like men, obisheev
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27634325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Earl/pseuds/Dark_Earl
Summary: The trial of Ahsoka Tano, in the context of this AU.The timeline: shortly before the"Independence and nightmares".This work is concentrated on the main events of the arc, but it still has a sex scene~
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Sheev Palpatine
Series: Palpatine x Obi-Wan: Arranged marriage AU [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927522
Comments: 13
Kudos: 46





	The case of Ahsoka

“They did what?” Obi-Wan put his cup of tea down awkwardly, almost spilling hot beverage.

"What heard, Obi-Wan!" Anakin screamed, striding back and forth through the ambassador's office as an enraged beast. “They banished her from the Order! For a crime she didn't commit! They just threw her out like... like!..”

“Like an incapable Padawan”, Obi-Wan thought. It was just amazing how the Jedi Order was quick to deal with the unwanted. The High Council was not as merciful as they would like to seem.

It had been hours since Anakin burst into his office, viciously slamming the door. Obi-Wan wanted to argue and remind young Skywalker that he, like the Jedi, had a job, but when Anakin desperately launched into the story of how Ahsoka was unfairly accused of terrorism, Obi-Wan had to reschedule several of his own meetings to give the Jedi time to blow off steam.

Thank the gods, the Melida/Daan embassy on Coruscant had competent people, and Obi-Wan's presence at some of the meetings was, if not formal, then certainly not mandatory.

Anakin collapsed wearily onto the soft sofa, leaned back and covered his face with his hands.

“She is innocent, I know she is innocent!” He moaned. “The council didn’t listen to anyone, they didn’t even give me a word! And I'm her master!”

Obi-Wan rose from the table and sat down next to Anakin. The young Jedi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

Obi-Wan knew of the explosion at the Jedi Temple, of course. He himself was on Corellia at this time to renew some of the trade agreements between their system and the Melida/Daan system. When he learned of the tragedy, he immediately returned to Coruscant, knowing that Sheev would need his support.

Together they attended the mournful but solemn funeral of the dead Jedi. Obi-Wan was still wondering how anyone had managed to enter the Temple and set off the explosion. Nevertheless, after Anakin's crumpled and inconsistent story, Obi-Wan began to think that it was clearly not without the participation of the Jedi. But what Jedi would dare to stage a terrorist attack in his own home? And what for?

“What will happen now?” Obi-Wan asked quietly, pondering how he might help Ahsoka and Anakin. Alas, neither he nor even the Chancellor would be able to influence the decision of the Jedi Council. If they were convinced of Tano's guilt, then only the capture of the real culprit could convince them otherwise.

Obi-Wan could have sent his men to investigate undercover, but that made little sense - it had to be done by a Force-sensitive. Obi-Wan himself was too public a figure to be openly involved in such an investigation.

“They say there will be a military court.”

Well, this is already something. Obi-Wan might be able to do something about that...

"If Ahsoka is found guilty, she could be executed," Anakin breathed defeated and looked up at Obi-Wan with a frightened look. “I mustn't let that happen.”

"We won't let that happen," Obi-Wan nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. “I'll talk to Sheev. As a last resort, it may be possible to commute the sentence...

Anakin growled and jumped off the couch.

“But she is innocent! We need to exculpate her!”

"Calm down, Anakin, please," Obi-Wan said. “I said: as a last resort. Although I am the spouse of the Chancellor of the Republic, I am not omnipotent. And neither he is. There are laws, there are people who will oversee this case, and there are hundreds of other factors that need to be taken into account.”

Skywalker frowned angrily.

"I'll talk to Sheev and figure out what can be done," Obi-Wan concluded. “The best outcome will be if you can find the real criminal. You must do this.”

"Yes... Right," Anakin sighed. “I will save Ahsoka and prove that she was not involved in the explosion.”

Obi-Wan rose from the couch and smiled reassuringly.

“Now, that's better. We will buy you time, but you must find a terrorist by all means.”

"Thanks, Obi-Wan." Anakin hugged him tightly. “ _You are my only hope_.”

*  
Palpatine kissed Obi-Wan deeply, then pulled back and leaned back, catching his breath after orgasm. Obi-Wan himself lay beside him, staring at the ceiling. However, instead of going to the shower, as he usually did after passionate sex, he turned on his side and propped his head on his hand, silently staring at his spouse.

Sheev turned his head towards him.

“I suppose you want to ask about something.”

“Yes.”

“Ask.”

Obi-Wan was clearly nervous, but he did not look away.

“What will happen to Ahsoka? Anakin's Padawan.”

"Hmm," Palpatine frowned in thought. “There will be a trial. As far as I know, since the Jedi Council found her guilty and even expelled her from the Order, then they definitely had hard evidence against her.”

Obi-Wan felt a pang of anger at the Order, but he would deal with their inner injustice later. Now he had to think about the future of an innocent child.

"If there is a trial, then Ahsoka will need a lawyer," Obi-Wan said quietly. “By the way, who will be the prosecutor?”

“Tarkin…”

Obi-Wan barely controlled himself not to roll his eyes. Of course it must be Tarkin. Obi-Wan didn’t like him and didn’t understand why Palpatine trusted him so much and assigned him many important and secret projects. There was something repulsive about him, he was too self-confident and arrogant. Tarkin, in turn, also didn’t like Obi-Wan, but their mutual dislike didn’t bother anyone, since they didn’t have to work together, thank the Force.

"In that case, I'll be Ahsoka's defence," Obi-Wan said softly, and smiled with the corners of his lips.

Palpatine chuckled.

“My dear, I understand your feelings, but alas, this is impossible,” he said. “You cannot be on the defence at a tribunal where I will act as a judge. This will be considered bias.”

"And at the same time, everyone knows about my own impartiality to Republican affairs," Obi-Wan lowered his voice slightly and put his free hand under the covers, running his palm down Palpatine's chest. “If Tarkin has problems with me, he will only have to deal with cold facts.”

When his hot fingers closed on his cock, Palpatine exhaled, but didn’t give up.

“And yet, apart from our marriage, everyone knows that you are a friend of Anakin Skywalker.”

"So are you," Obi-Wan chuckled, slowly running his palm up and down the hardening shaft.

“It's a bad idea anyway, Obi-Wan.”

“As a friend of Anakin, don't you want to help him yourself?”

“Of course I do.”

"Then let me be Ahsoka's defence." Obi-Wan finally settled into a sensual whisper and moved closer. “If Ahsoka is innocent and we can prove it, then justice will prevail. If not - even though I hope this will not happen - then the final decision will still be yours, and everyone will once again be convinced that our family affairs do not in any way affect the affairs of the state.”

Palpatine chuckled and pulled him closer. Obi-Wan shamelessly threw a leg over him and settled on his hips. Sheev pressed his palm on his neck, forcing him to lean forward, and kissed him.

"I hope not all of your negotiations go this way," Palpatine whispered against his lips after a long kiss.

“No. You have exclusive rights to them.” Obi-Wan smiled in the dim light and slowly sank down onto his cock.

*  
The door creaked open and Anakin and Obi-Wan entered the small cell. Ahsoka, seated at the table, raised her head.

Anakin walked over and sat down next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Hi, Snips.”

“Hello, master.”

Obi-Wan remained standing next to the door.

"I have some good news for you," Anakin tried to smile. “Obi-Wan agreed to help us. He will represent you in court while I search for the real killer.”

Obi-Wan nodded, confirming his words.

“I'm sure Ventress is to blame. She deceived me, attacked me in the warehouse where I was captured! Master, you must find her!”

"That's what I'm going to do," Skywalker said firmly, then got up and walked over to Obi-Wan. “Please do everything to get her acquitted.”

“I will do everything in my power. However, I must warn you both right away that our enemy will be Admiral Tarkin. I don’t know what happened between you and him, but his attitude to this matter certainly cannot be called impartial. And I'm afraid that due to his personal dislike for me, my participation will stir the pot. Therefore, Anakin, you must find this Ventress and get her confession.”

“I swear I'll catch her.”

Anakin turned and left the cell. Obi-Wan walked over to the table and sat down in front of Ahsoka, noting with horror that she was in Force-suppression handcuffs.

It was all wrong. This whole terrible situation screamed about injustice and deceit. Obi-Wan initially wondered about Ahsoka's innocence, but he believed Anakin and Anakin believed her. Anakin's Padawan would never have done anything like this.

“Ahsoka, I need you to tell me in great detail about where you were, when and with whom, and what you have been doing since your last visit to Coruscant. If Anakin fails, the only thing we can do is prove your alibi.”

Ahsoka sighed, but her gaze was firm.

She began a story. Obi-Wan wrote important details on the datapad, making notes.

“The last time I was on Coruscant with Anakin was before leaving on a mission to Cato Neimoidia. We spent only a few days here, I was in the Temple all the time, as I had to report on the previous mission and plan a new one. On Cato Neimoidia, we barely had time to land on the planet when Master Yoda called us back to the Temple, saying that there was an explosion in the hangar. The journey to Coruscant took less than a day. Immediately upon arrival, we went to the Council, where Master Yoda asked us to investigate, saying that anyone, even a Jedi, could have set the explosion. He also said,” Ahsoka grinned, “that he entrusts this task to Anakin and me precisely because we were not on Coruscant at that time and we could approach this matter with an open mind. _Ironic_.”

"This is very important," Obi-Wan agreed. “Please go on.”

They spent several hours together, but the more time passed and the more Ahsoka went into details, the more difficult it seemed to Obi-Wan to come up with the defense. Although her story was very detailed and self-consistent, Obi-Wan knew that with the proper skill it could be turned inside out and presented in a completely different light, which Tarkin would undoubtedly try to do. However, he did not lose hope.

*  
Obi-Wan took a deep breath, stretched his neck and shoulders, and stepped onto the platform to the left of the judge's chair, where Palpatine was already seated. Opposite him, on the right, came Admiral Tarkin with his haughty self-confident look. Ahsoka stood on the platform between them.

The Jedi, members of the Senate and other statesmen, prosecution and defense witnesses gathered around them. The twelve jurjuriesors, who were to deliver the final verdict, were sitting separately from everyone.

Obi-Wan made a commitment not to abuse the use of the Force when it came to politics and negotiations, but in war, all’s fair. This courtroom would now turn into a battlefield, and Obi-Wan would do everything he can to protect the unjustly accused child. A small use of the Force would strengthen his eloquence and make others believe he was right. Of course, it wouldn't work for everyone, and the Jedi would probably notice it, but he didn't care what they said. It was the Jedi who were to blame for the fact that the case came to the military court. If they had taken up the investigation with due diligence, all this farce would have been avoided.

Obi-Wan glanced at Yoda and felt rage rise in his blood, but he forced himself to calm down.

Palpatine gave a short opening speech and gave the floor to the prosecution. Tarkin chuckled smugly, clearly trying to undermine his adversary's confidence from the first seconds of the hearing, but Obi-Wan wasn’t affected in the least. Tarkin thought it was more profitable to be first, but for Obi-Wan it was the opposite. This way he would listen to Tarkin's accusatory position and be able to properly fine-tune his defense.

“First, let us restore the sequence of events,” the admiral began. “It all started with the explosion at the Jedi Temple five days ago…”

Admiral Tarkin recounted key events in the most vivid colors, from the explosion in the Temple to Ahsoka's escape from custody, now and then accusing the girl of cold-blooded cruelty. However, there were also weaknesses in his accusation that Obi-Wan intended to exploit.

When Tarkin finished, without even calling the prosecution witnesses to prove his own case, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka exchanged glances. Obi-Wan nodded in support.

“The floor is given to the defense,” said Palpatine.

The camera switched to Obi-Wan, broadcasting his image to the large screens in the hall.

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor." Obi-Wan turned to Tarkin. “Your arguments certainly sound convincing, Admiral, but they are not based on evidence, but only on the visible picture that the real criminal sought and which leads to this terrible delusion about the guilt of Ahsoka Tano. Members of the court, members of the jury,” the ambassador turned to them, “I suggest you cast aside all prejudices and take a cold, sober look at the facts that we have.”

The jury looked at each other, and Obi-Wan knew that his words were having the desired effect.

“Let's analyze the events again. Fact number one: Ahsoka Tano was not on Coruscant five days ago when the Temple blast occurred, and everyone from Jedi to clone troopers who were with her on a mission to Cato Neimoidia can attest. Of course, this alone isn’t enough to exculpate her, but it is worth keeping this in mind, because the case began long before the terrorist attack itself. Admiral Tarkin said it all started with an explosion, but this is far from true. After all, you must agree that the attack on the Temple had to be planned in advance. The terrorist, whoever he was, had to first find the executor, bribe him or threaten him to make an explosion in the hangar.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan saw Tarkin frown. Namely, it was not only a matter of facts, it was a matter of devaluing the prosecutor's story and dismantling it into small pieces, refuting all his arguments.

“It’s easy to restore Ahsoka Tano’s actions long before the attack on the Temple, and I can confidently say that she had neither the time nor the means to plan all this.”

Obi-Wan paused for a second, giving the audience time to process a new perspective on the matter, and continued.

“Now let's move on to the events of the last five days. Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano were summoned by the Jedi Council from a mission to Cato Neimoidia to investigate the explosion in the hangar. I quote,” Obi-Wan glanced at his datapad. “We want you two to investigate without relying on anyone else who has been here.”

He felt discontent in the Force. Obi-Wan set it aside so as not to be distracted.

“Their investigation led them to Jackar Bowmani, the weapons expert who worked at the Temple, and later to his wife, Letta Turmond, who was the real culprit. By adding nano-droids to her husband's food, she made a living bomb out of him, which caused the explosion. Among other things, Letta Turmond confessed. All the details of the investigation are documented, and these are hard facts. It seems to me that no one has any questions about these details. We now turn to the most important and most controversial part of this case.”

“Prisoner Letta Turmond wants to talk to Ahsoka, Admiral Tarkin himself informs her about this. When Ahsoka arrives at the prison, Letta says she wants to ask her for help, with three clones present as witnesses. Now, let's suppose that Ahsoka is actually the client behind the attack. It would be more clever for Letta to threaten her to hand her over in order to earn an acquittal herself, rather than ask her client for help. It can be assumed as well that Letta didn’t know who Ahsoka really was, but in this case Ahsoka had no need to kill Letta, because, as we can see, this became the main reason why the suspicion fell on her.”

“Ambassador Kenobi,” Tarkin interjected. “Your words are still the same assumptions.”

"That's right, Admiral Tarkin," Kenobi nodded, not in the least embarrassed. “This only means that this story at the moment does not have an unambiguous version, which also means that your accusation is true no more than my defense. However, let me continue.”

Obi-Wan looked up at the jury again.

“Admiral Tarkin rightly noted that cameras were installed in all rooms of the prison and that in the room where Letta was killed, the camera recorded only the picture, but not the sound. This means that the sound recording was turned off intentionally, as no technical problems were found. If the killer could turn off the sound, why didn't he turn off the picture? Again, assuming it was Ahsoka, would she kill someone in front of the camera and then try to convince us that it wasn't her? It's kind of stupid, isn't it? If we assume that the killer was someone else, then he turned off the sound so that no one knew what Letta and Ahsoka were really talking about, but left the image on so that everyone would think that it was Ahsoka who killed Letta, since she was the only Jedi present near her.”

A wave of whispers went through the hall.

Obi-Wan continued:

“Let's summarize. Ahsoka Tano did not have the opportunity to prepare a terrorist attack. Ahsoka Tano had the opportunity to kill Letta Turmond, but there was no reason for this, and moreover, this murder only made her situation worse. Most importantly, Ahsoka didn’t have the slightest motive for organizing a terrorist attack on the Temple, which was her own home. Letta Turmond was a well-known radicalist, but Ahsoka Tano was never seen having any connections with radicals, never expressed dissatisfaction with the Order, even though the Jedi Council decided to expel her instead of conducting a meticulous investigation and interceding for one of theirs... Thus, Ahsoka's guilt has not been proven, and I ask the members of the court to give more time to investigate this case.”

Obi-Wan expressed this negative opinion of the Order for a reason. Even though he and Tarkin were on opposite sides, he had no doubt that the admiral disliked the Jedi, and in this their opinions converged. Perhaps, sensing this short-term unity with his opponent, Tarkin would stop attacking and would instead lessen his demands.

“Nice speech, Ambassador Kenobi,” Tarkin chuckled. “However, if Ahsoka Tano is innocent, then why did she communicate with the famous terrorist Asajj Ventress?”

“Ventress set me up!” Ahsoka suddenly exclaimed.

Obi-Wan turned and sent a wave of calm in the Force, begging her not to do anything stupid.

“My master will prove it!”

“And where is your master now?”

“He's trying to find the real killer!”

“Gentlemen, I call you to order!” suddenly came the loud voice of Mas Amedda.

Tarkin and Ahsoka both straightened and turned towards the chancellor's chair.

Palpatine said:

“Truly not an easy case. I'm afraid our jury has the daunting task of sorting it out and determining whether Ahsoka Tano is guilty or not. I propose to give them all the time they need to make a decision.”

Mas Amedda banged his staff on the floor, announcing a break in the meeting. In the hall, the hum of those present immediately arose, everyone talking among themselves. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka walked out of the hall into blissful silence.

“Thank you for your help, Ambassador Kenobi,” Ahsoka said quietly. “But I'm afraid we didn't manage to change the jury’s point of view.”

“ _Oh, I don’t think so_. Now they are not so sure about your guilt, which means that they will spend more time on the verdict. The more time, the better for us.”

Ahsoka smiled grimly.

“Wait for me here, sweetheart. I'll try to talk to Tarkin.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“No, but it's better than inaction.”

Obi-Wan left the room they had been assigned, made a huge detour, and knocked on the door. It opened, and Tarkin went out to meet him.

“Ambassador.”

“Admiral.”

“How can I help you?”

Tarkin looked displeased. That was good.

“We could reach agreement. You must agree that there is no worse punishment for a Jedi than expulsion from the Order. This is what has already happened to Ahsoka. If she is found guilty, there is no need to execute her.”

“I don’t know what you think of yourself, Kenobi, but your status will not help you. The Chancellor will not support you.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

“That’s why I’m talking to you and not to him,” he replied. “Ahsoka is just a child. She doesn't deserve to be executed.”

“Tell that to those who died in the explosion,” Tarkin snorted and returned to his room.

All that was left was to hope for the jury.

*  
The time that the jury spent locked up, trying to decide on the verdict, was enough for Anakin to find the culprit. To everyone's amazement, it was not Asajj Ventress, but Barriss Offee. She pleaded guilty, accusing the Jedi of blind submission to the Senate, of the loss of the Light, of becoming a soulless war machine. Obi-Wan understood her reasoning and to some extent agreed with her. However, to arrange a terrorist attack because of this...

Suddenly, two pairs of arms grabbed him and squeezed in a tight embrace.

"Obi-Wan, thank you very much!" Anakin exclaimed. “I don’t know what I would do without you!”

“Yes, thank you very much, Ambassador Kenobi!” Ahsoka said. “You saved me.”

"Your master saved you, sweetheart," Obi-Wan smiled. “It was he who found the real killer.”

“But you believed him and me, when no one else believed. Even the Council…”

At the same time, members of the Jedi Council appeared in the hallway of the courthouse. Obi-Wan pursed his lips angrily at the sight of Yoda surrounded by the other counselors. Wriggling out of the embrace, he walked with a firm step towards the Jedi.

The Jedi Masters parted. Shorty Yoda looked up at him.

“Ambassador Kenobi, on behalf of the entire Order, let me express our grati...

"How dare you," Obi-Wan hissed, and Yoda paused awkwardly. “How dare you turn your back on her! How dare you banish her from the Order!”

The passersby looked around with interest, but Obi-Wan didn't care.

“Barriss is a criminal, but she was right! The Jedi are not the same as I knew them when I was a child. They lost all concepts of Light, compassion, mercy, they stopped believing their own! The Jedi are truly nothing more than a blind instrument of the Senate, errand boys with lightsabers who obediently fulfill all the whims of the Republic!”

Anakin walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Obi-Wan, don't...”

“No, Anakin, let me finish!” Obi-Wan brushed his hand away. “No wonder the citizens of the Republic are now against you. You have nothing sacred left. You are so mired in your own selfishness and hypocrisy that you cannot see beyond your own nose! When will you finally see? The galaxy needs your wisdom, not swords! The galaxy needs peacekeepers, not super-soldiers. I am extremely disappointed in you all.”

Obi-Wan turned and headed for the exit, not paying attention to the quiet murmurs of those around him, or to Yoda's face, completely distorted with amazement and indignation.

**Author's Note:**

> If you read "Independence and nightmares" closely, then you may remember that the actual reason of Obi-Wan's frustration and annoyance is his constant presence to the source of the Dark Side. Mixing with "the jedi suck", we gt all that yelling at Yoda.
> 
> (no, in fact the author just compensates the fact that no one yelled at Yoda in canon)
> 
> And yes, being the chancellor's spouse has its perks :)
> 
> And yes, right after that Ahsoka still leaves the Order.


End file.
